The security of any country is becoming threatened more and more by individuals who seek to impose their own beliefs on the society by destabilizing the current governments, taking retribution against others, and/or to profit illegally from sales of drugs and guns, for example. Accordingly, governments are devoting more resources to combat such efforts. Airports and borders are being more closely monitored for individuals and the transport of illegal materials trying to enter (or leave) a country.
The detection and monitoring of trace amounts of explosives and/or drugs, for example, can be a daunting task; however, this is critical to providing a safe environment for the population. Current methods include x-ray detection and other nuclear techniques for non-human examination, such as at airports for luggage, none of which address the possibility that such materials can be carried by the person. Similarly, such applications are not conducive to use in a field or war setting where explosives are oftentimes carried on the person (e.g., soldiers and machinery) or buried out of sight (e.g., land mines and booby traps). Accordingly, a need exists for improved techniques, systems, and methodologies for detecting materials of interest.